However, I'm not too sure if they have any affection at all for each other. Once, I actually asked Mom why they stayed together. "Oh, I owe so much to your father," she said, but did not explain what she meant. That night, I did something that I have never done. I snuck out of the house after they went to bed. They had both drunk more than usual during and after dinner. I had a pretty good idea that they would be sleeping soundly. It was only around 10:00 p.m., still early in any city, except Columbus. The traffic lights were already flashing red or yellow, depending on which side of the intersection you were on. The streets were quiet. I walked under a full moon to Aunt Fleur's house. The sidewalk was still warm from the afternoon's heat. I felt it seep through the thin plastic soles of my sandals and radiate onto the bottom of my feet. I wasn't afraid of the night. In spite of the unsolved murder of Coach Russell, Columbus remained a very safe place.
